Victoria College to start plumbing, carpentry courses

Victoria College is adding a couple of new offerings to its curriculum this fall, and one more to next spring’s calendar.

New this fall will be a course on plumbing and another one on carpentry.

According to Gonzales Center director Jackie Mikesh, the need to initiate these classes are a direct result of Hurricane Harvey.

“After Harvey hit, people in the community came forward and expressed a strong need for plumbers, carpenters and drywallers,” Mikesh said. “We simply did not have enough construction trade people available. With all of the damage there was not enough trained talent to meet the demand.”

Assistant Director Vince Ortiz agreed.

“When we started looking at the situation, it became apparent that a lot of the plumbers and drywallers in the area are becoming older, with many about ready to retire,” Ortiz said. “We need more trained people in these professions to fill the void, so we made the decision to move forward with these courses.”

Registration for the courses is very simple, Ortiz said.

“Anyone can take these classes, they simply have to fill out an easy registration form and complete some financial aid forms—and I can help them with that,” Ortiz said. “They don’t have to take an entrance test, and they don’t even have to be a high school graduate. All they have to do is take the entry level Core Curriculum Introductory Craft Skills class, and then they can take either the carpentry or plumbing class.”

Next spring, interested persons can also sign up to take a new drywall class.

For more information on these classes, contact the Victoria College Gonzales Center.